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Methods and apparatus for mobile phone power management
Introduction:
The rapid growth of the mobile telephone industry has resulted in millions of users of handheld, battery powered mobile telephones. Many users of such mobile telephones leave their telephones switched off unless they need to make an outgoing call, thereby conserving the unit's battery power for days, or even weeks.
Newer models have. decreased in size substantially, while still incorporating more features and functions that consume more battery power. One result of these technological advances is that the telephone's internal battery now typically occupies half, or more, of the total physical volume of the telephone, and may account for the majority of the unit's total weight. At the same time, the desire for longer operational time periods between battery recharge cycles has increased
A mobile telephone power management method and apparatus is disclosed that places the telephone in a dormant, or idle, mode. In this mode, battery power is only supplied to a device incorporated into the mobile telephone that monitors incoming radio frequency (RF) signals. If the device detects an inbound call, the device sends signals to switch on battery power to the mobile telephone baseband microprocessor. The device also sends stored registration information to the baseband microprocessor, thereby allowing the telephone to rapidly switch to active mode, and to answer the inbound call. This method allows the telephone to effectively emulate standby mode for weeks rather than days without the need for battery recharging.
Components of an idle power control subsystem for controlling a low power idle operational mode of a mobile telephone:
1. A radio frequency (RF) receiver being operable to only receive RF signals.
2. A mobile identification number (MIN) detector connected to an output of RF receiver which the idle power control subsystem is operable to switch said mobile telephone out of idle mode upon mobile identification number (MIN) detector detecting the MIN of mobile telephone.
3. a memory for storing registration information for mobile telephone.
4. a baseband converter for converting analog RF signals from MIN detector to digital signals.
5. a battery power control circuit operable to switch a mobile telephone into and out of idle mode.
6. a main control circuit being operable to send a signal to battery power control circuit upon main control circuit receiving the MIN of mobile telephone to increase battery power to a mobile telephone baseband processor.
A mobile telephone for communicating with a mobile telephone network being operable to switch into a battery power conserving idle mode comprises of:
1. a mobile telephone baseband microprocessor;
2. a memory;
3. a battery;
4. an antenna system for receiving and transmitting RF signals;
5. an electronic power switch operable to manually or electronically switch said baseband microprocessor on and off;
6. an idle power control subsystem, said idle power control subsystem being operable to send a signal to said electronic power switch to control the operational mode of the mobile telephone upon detection of an incoming call.
A method for minimizing the power consumption of a mobile telephone having a mobile telephone baseband processor:
1. initiating a registration of a mobile telephone with a mobile telephone network;
2. completing said registration and stoning said registration information in a memory;
3. determining that the telephone's MIN, indicating an incoming call, has not been detected during a predetermined period of time;
4. sending a signal to a power control circuit separate from the mobile telephone baseband processor in response to the passage of the predetermined period of time,
5. power control circuit being operable to substantially reduce the power supplied to the mobile telephone baseband processor to switch said mobile telephone to an idle power mode, thereby conserving battery power.
A method for controlling the operational mode of a mobile telephone:
Operational state is the state that consumes significantly less power than the standby state of a typical mobile telephone, yet provides the capability to rapidly resume a normal operational state. the steps include,
1. receiving mobile telephone RF signals;
2. monitoring said RF signals for the mobile identification number (MIN) associated with said mobile telephone;
3. detecting said MIN, where MIN indicates an incoming telephone call;
4. converting said RF signals indicating an incoming telephone call to digital signals;
5. sending said digital signals to a low power microprocessor, which upon recognizing an incoming telephone call generates an output signal to controllably increase the power supplied to a mobile telephone baseband microprocessor.
6. sending said output signal from said low power microprocessor to a power control circuit;
7. switching on battery power to provide operating power to the mobile telephone baseband microprocessor.
8. utilizing said low power microprocessor to retrieve mobile telephone registration information stored in a memory;
9. sending said registration information to the mobile. telephone baseband microprocessor, thereby rapidly switching said mobile telephone from idle mode to active mode.
A method for minimizing the power consumption of a mobile telephone:
1. initiating a registration of said mobile telephone with a mobile telephone network;
2. sending said registration information from the mobile telephone network to a mobile switching center;
3. storing said registration information in a mobile switching center database;
4. sending a message from said mobile telephone to the mobile switching center database, said message indicating that an idle power control subsystem is automatically switching the mobile telephone to an idle power mode;
5. sending a signal from said idle power control subsystem to a power control circuit, said power control circuit being operable to switch said mobile telephone to an idle power mode in response to said signal, thereby conserving battery power.
A method for updating the registration information stored in the memory of a mobile telephone:
1. switching a mobile telephone from idle mode to active mode after a predetermined period of time;
2. initiating a registration of said mobile telephone with a mobile telephone network;
3. storing said updated registration information in a mobile telephone memory;
4. sending a signal to a power control circuit, said power control circuit being operable to switch said mobile telephone to an idle power mode upon detection of an incoming call, thereby conserving battery power.
Although new battery technologies, such as lithium-ion, are now supplanting the once ubiquitous nickel-cadmium, the state of the art in battery technology has not kept pace with consumer demand for longer life batteries. While switched off, the telephone battery may still supply a nominal amount of power to maintain a user's customizable features, such as telephone number lists, and the like. The power output capability of a mobile telephone battery typically degrades slowly over time due to a number of factors. Such factors include the hysteresis effect associated with recharging nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cad) batteries and internal leakage currents, and these factors may be accelerated by environmental conditions such as high storage temperatures, humidity, and the like.